‘We want to inspire systemic change.’ Unity Health Toronto lectures, workshops focus on building equitable research practices

Unity Health Toronto is hosting a series of research talks and workshops to foster critical conversations and share practical tips on how we can better apply principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism (EDIAR) to research practice.

The Health Equity and Research Talks (HEaRT) and the Driving Change in Healthcare: Equitable Research in Action (ERA) workshops feature invited guest speakers, Q&As and roundtable discussions for scientists, researchers and trainees.

We sat down with Unity Heath Toronto Research Equity Specialist Denese Frans-Joseph to learn more about the talks, how they were started, and her big plans for the future.

Q: Tell us more about the HEaRT talks and ERA workshops.

Frans-Joseph: The two series stem from the Research Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Task Force, which was formed at Unity Health back in 2020 in response to issues that were being observed socially in the research landscape, and the impact of COVID on marginalized communities. COVID and the pandemic made clear the necessity to really think and prioritize health equity in research practice.

Since 2020, REDI has developed a number of equity-focused initiatives to support the research community in their work and support research excellence at Unity Health, including HEaRT and the ERA workshops.

HEaRT, which started in 2022, focuses on creating awareness and sparking dialogue around EDIAR. HEaRT features speakers and experts who can share their lived-experience and expertise, and their approaches to integrating EDIAR into research.

The ERA workshops, which started in 2024, were created to take things a step further, and really equip researchers and their teams with the practical tools and actionable strategies to apply EDIAR principles to their work.

For example, a recent ERA workshop featured Dr. Notisha Massaquoi, and that session was about inclusive research design. She highlighted strategies to ensure that representation of diverse populations and perspectives are included in the design of a research study. She talked about ensuring that there are opportunities to address power imbalances within the research process, and she gave real-life examples of studies that are doing this well.

So HEaRT highlights work that’s being done in the research world, and ERA provides researchers with actionable steps and strategies to conduct equitable research.

These initiatives grew out of recognizing that systemic inequities persist in research practice and outcomes, and the goal is to create intentional spaces for learning, collaboration and accountability.

Q: Applying EDIAR to research is an emerging principle at Unity Health Toronto, but for many people who are not part of healthcare or academia, it may not be obvious why equitable health research is critical. Why is it important that research be inclusive and equitable?

Frans-Joseph: Applying an EDIAR lens to health research is essential because research informs policies, practices and interventions that directly impact people’s lives. Any new study that comes out will potentially lead to new treatments and new ways of addressing health issues, so we really have to use an equity lens.

Historically, research has excluded or misrepresented marginalized populations, which has led to the health disparities that currently exist and the lack of culturally appropriate care.

We saw this during the pandemic, when there was vaccine hesitancy among certain groups. There are many reasons why people may be hesitant to get a vaccine, but one reason may be that the research that led to the vaccine’s development did not include diverse populations. This could contribute to certain groups not trusting a vaccine.

Incorporating principles of EDIAR ensures that research reflects the diverse lives and the lived experiences of the communities we aim to serve. It also ensures that the structural barriers and social determinants of health are considered in the study design and implementation, and the findings can lead to more equitable solutions that improve health outcomes and the health system for everyone.

Q: How do you choose the guest speakers and lecturers?

Frans-Joseph: There’s a lot of planning and engagement that goes into choosing speakers for HEaRT and the ERA workshops. After every HEaRT lecture, we have a questionnaire or survey that goes out to participants asking for suggestions for future speakers. It’s very informed by our community.

With ERA, our task force made a list of the topics we wanted to cover, identified some gaps that exist within our research community and areas of focus researchers and teams wanted to learn more about. Then I did some research on who is currently doing this work, and who could speak to these topics, and contacted them directly to see if they’re interested. Our working group members for the ERA sessions, Anne Sorvari, Kayley-Jasmin Marchena-Romero, Sonya Grewal, and Yasmine Gray, have been really instrumental in the implementation of this series.

Q: Are these talks open to researchers from other institutions?

Frans-Joseph: From the beginning HEaRT was designed to create a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing beyond Unity Health Toronto. We know that health equity and inclusive research design are universal challenges, so the solutions require some collective action across institutions, disciplines and sectors. That’s why we intentionally promote HEaRT outside of Unity Health. We’ve had attendees join HEaRT from across Toronto, the province, the country, and even internationally including representatives from other research hospitals, universities and funding agencies.

ERA was developed specifically for Unity Health Toronto, and piloted among the research community here. These workshops were intentionally kept small to encourage dialogue and enable participants to ask questions. A community of practice has sprung from ERA, where participants are actively engaged putting these learned principles into practice. We’re hoping to open it up to other healthcare networks and hospitals, and we hope to create a sort of ripple effect, where researchers and healthcare professionals from diverse organizations can learn and contribute, and apply these EDIAR principles to their work.

We’re hoping to build partnerships and collaborate with other institutions to take this further, beyond Unity Health Toronto, because ultimately we’re all in this for the same goal.

We want to sustain the momentum of these talks and scale up, grow bigger, create larger impact, and really inspire some systemic change across the healthcare and research landscape. This work is not easy, but there’s strength in numbers.

Q: What has been the feedback from attendees?

Frans-Joseph: The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Participants have really appreciated the thought-provoking content and practical tools that they’ve been given, and the safe space to engage in these challenging but necessary conversations.

The speakers have expressed gratitude and excitement for the opportunity and platform to share their expertise and insights, and to connect with other folks who are passionate about EDIAR.

Attendees often highlight the value of hearing diverse perspectives and actionable takeaways. People are always asking, ‘How can we do this work? What are the ways we can do this work?’ So takeaways and strategies are really helpful for them to apply to their own projects.

There’s a growing sense of community among those who participate in HEaRT and ERA workshops. I really do love that I’m able to see and witness the transformative impact of these talks.

Interview by Marlene Leung

Photo by Katie Cooper

Originally published on Unity Health Toronto